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Population Dynamics of Vibrio and Pseudomonas Species Isolated from Farmed Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.): A Seasonal Study

  • Microbiology of Aquatic Systems
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Abstract

Vibrio and Pseudomonas species have been shown to be part of the normal microbiota of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), with some strains causing disease in fish. The factors affecting their prevalence and persistence in the salmon gut, however, have not been well studied. In this study, we collected 340 Vibrio and 150 Pseudomonas isolates from the hindgut of farmed Tasmanian Atlantic salmon, fed with two commercially available diets. Samples were collected every 6–8 weeks between July 2011 and May 2012. Isolates from selective agar were initially identified using biochemical tests and confirmed using genus-specific primers and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) sequencing. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR was used to type both Pseudomonas and Vibrio; the latter was further typed using a biochemical fingerprinting method (PhP-RV plates). We observed low species diversity with strains comprising Vibrio ichthyoenteri/Vibrio scophthalmi, Vibrio crassostreae/Vibrio splendidus, Aliivibrio finisterrensis, Photobacterium phosphoreum and Pseudomonas fragi. Out of 340 Vibrio isolates, 238 (70 %) belonged to 21 clonal types and were found predominantly during summer when water temperatures reached 15 to 21 °C. Of these, the four major clonal types were found in multiple samples (70 %). P. fragi, on the other hand, was only found during the colder water temperatures and belonged to 18 clonal types. The presence of both groups of bacteria and their clonal types were independent of the fish diets used, suggesting that the water temperature was the main factor of the prevalence and persistence of these bacteria in the gut of Atlantic salmon.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff at Tassal from which samples were collected, for their help and collaboration throughout this study and, in particular, thanks to Dr. Alistair Brown and Peter Gysen. We also thank the staff of Ridley AquaFeed especially Dr. Richard Smullen for supporting this study. We also thank the student scholarship received from the University of the Sunshine Coast and PhD top-up scholarship of the Australian Seafood CRC (2011-702).

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest with the organisation that sponsored this research and publications arising from this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD, 4558, Australia

    Eva Hatje, Christina Neuman, Hollie Stevenson & Mohammad Katouli

  2. Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 54, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia

    John P. Bowman

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  1. Eva Hatje
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Correspondence to Mohammad Katouli.

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Hatje, E., Neuman, C., Stevenson, H. et al. Population Dynamics of Vibrio and Pseudomonas Species Isolated from Farmed Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.): A Seasonal Study. Microb Ecol 68, 679–687 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0462-x

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